What About Miss Maudie?
by Lady Henrietta
Summary: Behind every man, there is a wise woman. Here's what should have happened with Miss Maudie in the book.


Disclaimer: All To Kill a Mockingbird nouns belong to Harper Lee. Spoilers included, beginning at chapter 22, 23, 24, and the last chapter, some of them paraphrased, marked by italics

What about Miss Maudie?

Miss Maudie came with us to the corner when we met Atticus. _"It ain't right," Jem muttered_.

'_Atticus was standing under the streetlight looking as though nothing had happened: his vest buttoned, his collar and tie were neatly in place, his watch chain glistened, he was his impassive self again_.' He patted Jem and me on our shoulders and then glanced up at Miss Maudie.

"Things… could have gone better," he said stiffly. Miss Maudie nodded and we walked back to the house in silence.

Aunt Alexandra asked about Tom Robinson while Jem continued on how unfair the verdict was. Miss Maudie just sat in a chair and listened. Jem asked how they could do it, and Atticus responded, _"I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they did it – seems that only children weep."_

I thought he would go to bed, but instead he looked over at Miss Maudie. "Maudie, if it isn't too late for you, would you mind joining me for a game of checkers?"

She gave a nod and stood. "Of course I'll join you."

Atticus gave a half-smile. "Alexandra, would you mind making us tea? We'll be in the study."

Aunty raised an eyebrow. "Alright, it'll be ready in a while."

As Miss Maudie and Atticus walked off toward the study, Jem and I were expected to send ourselves to bed. Jem managed this without any problems, but I was curious as to what Atticus and Miss Maudie would end up talking about. I followed them down the hall and sat on the other side of the partially open door, in the shadows so they couldn't see me. Every once in a while I would lean over so I could see them.

Atticus set up the checker board while Miss Maudie fixed the chairs. They started playing, not saying anything at first. Finally Atticus cleared his throat. "Things shouldn't have to be this way. Jem and Scout, I wish they didn't have to deal with these things yet, but _this is there home. We've made it this way for them, they might as well learn to cope with it._"

Maudie sighed and patted Atticus' hand. "You're not responsible for all of Maycomb County. You're not responsible for what the rest of the town does even. Our only job, whether we're parents or neighbors, is to see that the children have what they need to deal with the ugliness of this world, and that they want to make it better."

I had my back to them again sitting by the backside of the door as I heard the checkers move. "Sometimes I just wish it didn't feel like I was always fighting my battles uphill," said Atticus.

"It only looks that way until you can see everything from the top. People hate change, whether it's good for 'em or not," Miss Maudie reminded.

"How can I teach them that you have to do the right thing even when it's hard?" there was a hitch in his voice I wasn't used to hearing and I turned to watch them again.

Miss Maudie was looking down at the checkerboard. "Atticus Finch, I daresay that you haven't had your mind on this game at all. I've beaten you, and I don't reckon having done that since I was a girl. Usually when we play checkers you beat me royally. I didn't stay tonight thinking I was going to win, but knowing that you wanted to talk. Sometimes things do work out, hard or not, and you've got to keep trying because to not try is to let everything you hate win."

Atticus sighed heavily and stood, pacing the room slowly. "You don't need to tell me that, but thank you. I ought to know that already, this trial just as me feeling dejected."

She tried to follow his pacing. "You said yourself that things will look better in the morning."

He gave a ghost of a smile. "Why don't we play checkers like this more often?"

She chuckled. "Because if we did, I'd have so many games over you with the way you distract yourself that it would take you 'till Kingdom come to catch up."

The game and even what they said was not much of a surprise to me, but what they did next sure was. It looked like he had attempted to hug her as she had attempted to kiss his cheek. Somehow things missed slightly and she ended up kissing him on the mouth. Both pulled back and looked at each other, startled. Then they kissed for real. I turned my head and noticed Aunt Alexandra coming with the tea tray. Knowing that everything was breakable and that she might actually drop it if she was shocked enough, I risked being exposed and shut the study door.

"Jean Louise Finch, what on earth are you doing over there? Eavesdropping isn't very ladylike. Now off to bed with you." I didn't argue with her, just walked quickly and headed to my room. From the window I watched Miss Maudie leave a short while later.

The next day Jem, Dill, and I went over to Miss Maudie's as she was working out in her garden. She was almost done weeding when she greeted us. Miss Stephanie Crawford was there too, getting 'deadly' looks from Miss Maudie as she rambled on about the trial. Miss Maudie led the three of us inside and gave us cake. Then she sat down _with her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework_. We were in for a speech of sorts.

_"I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them," she began. Jem wasn't sure what to say, so he simply said 'oh' and 'well.' Miss Maudie looked at him over the top of her glasses. "Don't you oh well me, sir; you are not old enough to appreciate what I said."_

Jem compared his past view of Maycomb to a cocoon, being a warm comfortable place. Miss Maudie nodded and continued. _"We're the safest folks in the world. We're so rarely called upon to be Christians, but when we are, we've got men like Atticus to go for us."_

_"Wish the rest of the county thought that," Jem replied with a sigh._

_"You'd be surprised how many of us do," _she told him. Then she reminded us that Tom Robinson's case usually would have gone to Maxwell Green, as he was new to the profession. _"It was no accident. I waited yesterday and I thought Atticus Finch won't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. We're making a step, even if it's just a baby step."_

Jem was still wresting with questions about what the townspeople should and shouldn't do when Miss Stephanie Crawford informed us that Bob Ewell had spit in Atticus' face after telling him off. "Honestly that woman couldn't mind her own business if her life depended on it," Miss Maudie muttered.

Aunt Alexandra said that having company over might do Atticus some good, so when he came home that evening, Miss Maudie was with us, having been invited over for tea. I would learn years later that Aunt Alexandra sometimes saw more that the rest of us did when it came to Atticus.

"Atticus, what happened today?" Aunt Alexandra pestered.

"_I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco," Atticus commented._

With that we knew the subject was closed. He smiled politely at Miss Maudie as we sat down to eat supper. Jem and I were worried about Atticus' safety, thinking that Bob Ewell meant to get him. He reassured us that everything was fine, and then he said, "It's not time to worry yet," again. I wondered what he meant, but figured that I would know soon enough.

Atticus and Miss Maudie walked out to the porch after dinner and I watched from the window. Both were standing, looking out at the neighborhood. "I wish they wouldn't worry so much about me, children shouldn't worry like that," Atticus told her.

She looked over at him and sighed. "They're your children. I'd hardly expect them not to worry. In a way it shows that they're maturing."

"I just don't want them to grow up too fast," he told her as he rested his hands on the railing.

I was glad he decided to confide in Miss Maudie. She was always good at talking sense to people. She put her left hand over Atticus' right, and then sighed, also resting her hands on the railing and looking at him. "We've all tried to keep them as carefree as possible, but the only way they are going to survive in this world is if they learn to adapt to its dangers as well as its benefits. I also think they have a point. Atticus, you need to be more careful."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised at her. "Do you really think that Bob Ewell is that dangerous, or were you referring to the townspeople? Maudie, if we can't trust our neighbors, who can we trust? You can't live life not trusting anybody."

"I know that, and I wasn't trying to say who should be trusted. I was just saying that, well, I worry about you too," she told him, slowly facing him.

He smiled a half-smile and patted her hand. "Maudie, I'll be fine."

She nodded and moved toward the steps. "Goodnight Atticus."

"Goodnight Maudie, and thank you," he replied as she headed toward her house.

Things were about to get worse before they got better though. Atticus came home in the middle of the ladies' luncheon to speak with Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, and Miss Maudie. I followed them into the kitchen and met him as he came through the back door. He wanted Calpurnia to come with him to tell Helen, Tom's wife, the news.

"_Tom's dead. They shot him," said Atticus_. He went into further detail about how many times they shot him, and then he and Calpurnia left.

He came home late with Jem and Dill. Aunty had sent me to bed, but the sound of the truck coming back woke me up. I crept downstairs and stayed hidden to listen to what was going on. Dill was told to go home to Miss Rachel and Jem headed upstairs to bed. I was surprised to see Miss Maudie still at the house as she came out of our kitchen, but those church ladies used a lot of dishes this afternoon. Aunty offered them tea, but they all declined. When Atticus and Miss Maudie headed over to the study I followed them again.

He didn't even bother with checkers this time, just sat on the sofa with his head in his hands for a moment. Then he looked up, sighed, and stood to begin pacing the room. After folding her hands and settling on her bridgework, Miss Maudie asked the inevitable question. "Atticus, how did Helen take the news?"

"Badly, it caused her to crumple down and cry. I helped her back to her house and we talked for a while. I wish I could've been bringing her good news," he paused with an arm on the fireplace mantle.

"What happened wasn't your fault, so you can stop blaming yourself," she tried to persuade him.

He didn't move from the fireplace. "I told him that we had a good chance at an appeal, but he wouldn't listen. I should have tried harder to convince him, _but he was tired of white man's promises_, this should have been prevented."

She stood and walked over to him. "Atticus, you did the best you could do, which frankly has been more than any other man in all of Maycomb county would have ever attempted. You can't control what people do, try as you might. We both know how unfair this world is that we live in, but the only thing we can do is to try to make it better one step at a time," she reminded him while resting her hand on his shoulder.

"You're right, Maudie, I just can't help feeling bad about the whole mess," he told her when he turned and faced her.

"Which is why you're a good man, Atticus Finch," she said with a small smile and a sigh. Then she crossed her arms. "And that's also why I'm not just going to sit back and let you wallow in self-pity." Miss Maudie always did know how to make a point.

Atticus pulled her into a hug and while they were hugging, they stared at each other and then they kissed for what I thought was a long time. I made the mistake of slipping on the rug and I fell back against the wall. "Miss Jean Louise, is that you again?" Miss Maudie asked, walking out to find me.

I had been caught red-handed and I didn't know what to say. Atticus sighed and mussed my hair. "Scout, if you want to be part of the conversation you might as well come in."

I walked back into the study with them and sat next to Miss Maudie on the couch. They were talking about Helen Robinson again, but the words started to blur together. I hadn't realized until I was sitting on that couch how tired I was. I rested my head on Miss Maudie's lap and she began to run her fingers through my hair. The next thing I knew, somebody was carrying me up the stairs, but it wasn't Atticus, it was Miss Maudie.

She put me in bed and smiled. "Goodnight Scout, now this time you ought to go to sleep."

Atticus kissed my forehead. "Go on now, no more wandering down tonight." I told them both goodnight, but didn't fall asleep until I head them both walk downstairs.

There was a play when school started up again. I was dressed as a ham and Jem and I had to walk to the school. Being there wasn't so bad, but when we walked home I couldn't see through my costume. Someone was chasing us and then there was noise, something slashed my costume and Jem fell. I ran all the way home to tell Atticus what happened. Someone I didn't immediately recognize brought Jem home. Then I figured it out: it was Boo Radley. Atticus talked with Sheriff Heck Tate about what happened after it was decided that Jem only had a broken arm and a concussion while I walked Boo Radley home.

Miss Maudie was there with us, standing next to Atticus. He looked over at me. "Scout, would you stay with Jem for a minute?" I nodded and watched as Atticus and Miss Maudie walked out of the room.

I could still hear them though. "I should have realized how dangerous Bob Ewell was, coming after my children with a knife."

"None of us predicted that he would resort to that. And stop fussin' over what Jem didn't do. Heck's right, Bob Ewell fell on his knife, or Mr. Radley did something. Either way, your son couldn't have done anything with a broken arm."

"I know, but it scares me to think how close I came to losing them."

"Atticus, you didn't, and everything's going to be fine."

I glanced over my shoulder and watched them in the doorway. He took her hands in his. "Thank you. Are you leaving now?"

She shook her head. "I know you'll be up all night looking after Jem, and I intend to stay up all night with you."

He smiled in a way that reflected both affection and gratitude. "Maudie, I love you."

Smiling back, she kissed him lightly. "I love you too, Atticus."

Fin……………………


End file.
